By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Hutchinson man sentenced to at least 48 years in prison on a first-degree murder charge will be back in a Reno County courtroom Friday. Charles Christopher Logsdon has filed a civil motion, citing ineffective counsel.
Logsdon was convicted of intentional first-degree murder in the shooting death of Jennifer Heckel in 2011 in her home. The shooting was a case of mistaken identity. A co-defendant in the case, Billy Craig Jr., is serving a 15-year sentence after entering a plea to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
In his civil case, Logsdon claims that the defense failed to call 15 witnesses that could prove his innocence. The list includes cellmates, people he claims were with him the night of the murder, and a neighbor of Heckel who says she saw a white male in the victim's backyard a week before the murder.
Former District Attorney Keith Schroeder, who is now a district court judge, has already filed a brief on the claims made by Logsdon.
Logsdon was in court last month on two other motions. The first was to have Judge Trish Rose recuse herself from the case. That motion was denied. The second was to have the entire District Attorney's office removed from the case. Logsdon’s defense attorney stated that the case would be an emotionally-charged one if it made it back to trial again. That motion was also denied.
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.